CAC 40 Down Marginally Amidst Slew Of Economic Data

(RTTNews) - French stocks are turning in a mixed performance Friday morning with investors digesting a slew of regional economic data and closely following the developments on the geopolitical front.

The benchmark CAC 40 was down 10.25 points or 0.12% at 8,610.68 about a quarter before noon.

Pernod Ricard, up nearly 2%, is the top gainer in the index. Euronext is rising 1.5%, while Capgemini and Schneider Electric are gaining 1.2% and 1.15%, respectively.

Steel tubes maker Vallourec is gaining more than 1.5% after Q4 revenue came in above expectations.

Sanofi, Eurofins Scientific, Thales, AXA, Bouygues, Unibail Rodamco, Legrand and Veolia Environment are up 0.4%-1%.

Among the laggards, Saint Gobain is down 2.7%, Engie is declining by about 2.3 and EssilorLuxottica is down 2%.

ArcelorMittal, STMicroelectronics, Renault, Airbus, LVMH, Publicis Groupe and Credit Agricole are down 0.5%-1%.

In economic news, INSEE said France's annual inflation rate accelerated to 1% in February 2026, up from 0.3% in January which was the lowest reading since December 2020, according to preliminary estimates. Compared to the previous month, the CPI went up 0.7%, the most in two years, after a 0.3% gain in January.

France's economy expanded 0.2% quarter-on-quarter in Q4 2025, easing from 0.5% in Q3 and confirming preliminary estimates, a separate report from INSEE showed. This marked the softest quarterly growth in three quarters. On an annual basis, GDP expanded 1.2%, higher than initial data of 1.1% and the strongest since Q1 2024, picking up from 1% in Q3. For the full year 2025, the French economy grew 0.9%, slowing from 1.1% in 2024.

Meanwhile, French domestic producer prices rose by 0.5% month-on-month in January 2026, following an upwardly revised 0.3% increase in the previous month. This marked the fourth straight month of growth. On an annual basis, the decline in producer prices intensified, dropping 2.3%, the sharpest since December 2024, compared with a 1.9% fall in December.

Non-Farm Payrolls in France increased by 27073 thousand in December of 2025, another data from INSEE showed.